A
reference site for general scientific information
concerning the exploration and investigation into
Loch Ness and its famous monster controversy.
Archives also include work of : "The Loch
Ness Investigation",
and "Loch Morar
Survey" Latest Google Film

Interestingly, it emerges from the article that Mr Edwards does not believe in the Loch Ness Monster, ‘Most of the people I talk to on my boat know that it’s just a bit of fun.’ and speaks of ‘my little stories about Nessie.’ He clearly doesn’t think that many other people believe in it either. The irony is that the serious investigations and presentations such as that at The Loch Ness Centre, afford a great deal more respect to over a thousand honest and sober eyewitnesses by explaining what they have truthfully reported in terms of some rather special features of Loch Ness. The Drumnadrochit Chamber of Commerce has done a disservice to the reputation of this subject by being at such pains to facilitate Mr Edwards’ form of promotion by rendering his letter more literate and distributing to the entire membership, demanding the retraction of Tony Harmsworth’s editorial and characterising the objective presentation at The Loch Ness Centre as ‘negativity’.

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Fully Illustrated Guide to places and events,
latest exploration: Operation Groundtruth Explore
places and events, a guided tour around the
Loch and beneath the surface, an exploration
of the underwater world, and some of the results
of our ongoing search in the deep water with
"Operation Groundtruth".

Loch
Ness Research and The Archive Room

Alphabetical Author ListSimply a list and thequickest way to
find a publicationor study where the
author is known. Links are provided where possible.
University course dissertations are included,
though links are currently to abstracts only.
Copies are generally held by the Loch Ness Project
Library at Loch Ness 2000. Research.and
exploration of Loch Ness - authors and scientific
papers. An historical list of contemporary documents
and investigation of the Loch Ness Monster.The TimelineMainly the investigations
of the Loch Ness Monster controversy and as its name suggests, is a chronological
history with the source references inserted and
linked where possible. Because it is designed
to show the evolution of method and thought, departures
are made from the historical chronology where
it seems relevant.

The
archive is restricted to expeditions or other
studies where authoritative reports or published
papers have been produced. Thus, newspaper
material is only used where it is authored by
the investigators themselves and in one case where
a newspaper reporter was himself a principal investigator.

Sometimes
it has not been possible, for copyright or other
reasons, to include an important item. Books,
for example, or some journal publications have
simply been referenced. For the same reason most
items are reproduced in a PDF secure (read only)
form. Where possible the material retains its
original appearance but some is rearranged for
screen viewing. If necessary, documents have been
digitally retouched for legibility. The kind assistance
given by the copyright holders is gratefully acknowledged.

Editorial
bias: The inclusion of items mostly reflects
whether material is considered "diligent" and
it is hoped that no injustice has been done. The
remaining scope for bias lies within those passages
which attempt to link the pages of the archive
and to demonstrate interaction or debate within
them. These passages may reflect the author's
personal opinions.

"
Loch Ness"

This
new 32 page booklet "Loch Ness", is
Adrian Shine's account of everything about Loch
Ness from Continental Drift to Loch Ness Monster
Hoaxes . As a nauturalist he takes an environmental
perspective which sheds unnexpected light into
the controversy.

Here are 12 sections of our free work-pack.We recommend you view number 1, Focus and Glossary
sheets first. The glossary is a must for students
to get the most from the projects.*COPYRIGHT
You may print the workpack for your own use
in class or at home but not for re-sale or display
on any other website or other digital or other
media or in any other publication without prior
consent from the copyright holders.
Remember that from this selection you can view
and print (standard resolution). There are some
good graphics in the pack so when the section
opens give it time to load them!

Loch Ness and the Great Glen
provide an ideal base for Ecology, Geography
and Environmental Science field trips. Whether
you are a university course organiser, research
worker or an individual B.Sc. student looking
for a novel location for a dissertation you
will find a welcome with the Loch Ness Project.

Nessie
Dead or Alive - ReflectionsIt
was recently announced that Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH) was forming a Loch Ness Environment Panel........with a view to developing a code
of practice for visiting Loch Ness monster hunters
who might inadvertently cause damage to the loch's
habitats, or individual creatures within it. This
move was prompted by the proposal of a Swedish
monster hunter and ufologist Jan Sundberg, to
place a 6m long creel trap in Loch Ness. The SNH
area manager Jonathan Stacey, made it clear that
they had no
policy on Nessie as such and the prime aim was
to "protect the known from those pursuing the
unknown".

more

HoaxOn the 2nd July 2003 a Mr. Gerald
McSorley came to Loch Ness 2000 and reported finding
some bones on the shore of Loch Ness below the
most northerly lay-by on the A82 road. The material
was examined by Adrian Shine and found to consist
of four fossil vertebrae embedded in a limestone
material not found at the loch. It was felt most
likely that the fossil had been exposed in a marine
environment and had been placed at the lay-by
in order to be found. Shine then referred Mr.
Mc Sorley to the National Museum of Scotland in
Edinburgh and briefed the palaeontology department.
Here, Dr. Lyall Anderson determined that the vertebrae
were from a plesiosaur and were about 150 million
years old. He confirmed however, that the matrix
was foreign to Loch Ness and contained evidence
of marine borers. Plesiosaur fossils have occasionally
been collected on the Black Isle.

John
Cobb and Crusader

On September
29 1952 John Cobb,
the famous Brooklands racing hero, holder of many
speed records, died after his boat Crusader disintegrated
after hitting a boat-wake during a world water
speed record attempt on Loch Ness. He became the
fastest man on water (206.89mph) though did not
achieve the record since the accident occurred
before he could complete a second run over the
measured mile.
At the end of the measured mile Crusader nose-dived
into the deep dark waters of Loch Ness. John Cobb's
body was swiftly pulled from the water by his
support team and the wreckage from crusader sank
to depths of over 200m.

The search for
Crusader 2002Skipper, John Minshull and Adrian Shine spent many long nights sweeping the plotted line
with sonar and mapping the site.By June the Loch Ness Project was satisfied they had found the debris field. At this
point the American Academy of Applied Science,
on expedition at the loch, announced an interest
in finding the Cobb wreck during the last 2 days
of their visit and were to be assisted by Gordon
Menzies, a resident, owner of Temple Pier and
as a child witness of the record attempt.

Loch
Ness Pictures - Reality Check
A new development reflecting the popularity of
Loch Ness, is the use of webcams, most notably
(www.lochness.scotland.net) , making the
loch accessible in a way that it has never been
before. It may be thought that the combination
of a relatively low resolution tool in the hands
of unprecedented numbers of people with no experience
whatever of the loch's conditions would be a sure
recipe for a sightings bonanza. Interestingly,
this has not proved to be the case. Less than
half a dozen have come to our attention. There
is one however, which has come to particular public
attention......

A
Key to Loch Ness Monster Sightings

It
is fair to say that no visitor to Loch Ness passes
by without some sense of expectation and
many would hold that a predisposition to see monsters
is, in itself, a sufficient explanation for the
controversy surrounding this enigmatic expanse
of water. Indeed, it was the subject's first author, Rupert Gould (1934) who discussed what
he called "expectant attention". However, it was
to be thirty years before a proper investigation
of the monster sightings phenomena was undertaken.
In some ways this research was to provide verification
for some quite bizarre experiences and to confirm
that there was indeed something special about
Loch Ness.

DefinitionBearing the foregoing in mind, perhaps the
broadest definition of a monster "sighting" maybe,"anythingseen at Loch Ness which the observer does
not recognise". Some may seek explanation;
others find revelation within the experience.
For some, a sighting may be a life-altering event.